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5 Tips for Interior House Painting

If you are looking to do some interior house painting, these five simple tips can help. Your house will look like you hired professional house painting contractors.

This information originally appeared in The Family Handyman blog, where the author listed his top ten tips.

Avoiding Lap Marks
When you roll over partially dry paint with a wet roller, it causes unsightly stripes called lap marks. All painters should maintain a wet edge by overlapping the previous stroke by half before the paint starts to dry. Under the right conditions, latex paint can begin drying in under a minute. It is important not to let the roller become nearly dry. Keep it at least half loaded by reloading frequently.

Use a Large Bucket
The color of your paint may vary from one can to another. Even if it’s only a small difference, changing cans mid-wall will still be noticeable.

To maintain consistent color, good house painting contractors know that it is important to mix all of the paint for one room together before beginning. You can use a large 5 gallon bucket to do this.

Wait to Pull the Tape
After finishing your interior house painting job, all painters should remember to wait a while (at least 24 hours) before removing the tape. This is because paint will form a filmy layer between the wall and tape. If you simply pull the tape away, pieces of dried paint will be torn from the wall.

Wait until the paint has completely dried, then use a utility knife to cut through the filmy layer and pull up the tape at a 45 degree angle. It’s a good idea for you to start in an inconspicuous area to be certain the paint is hardened enough to slice cleanly. If it’s gummy still, you could make a pretty big mess.

Trim ~ Ceiling ~ Walls
Most house painting contractors follow the same order when they are painting a room. It is easiest to start with the trim. The trim is your best starting point when doing any interior house painting, because it is easier and more practical to tape off finished trim than to try to tape off finished walls.

For the same reason – you don’t want to have to tape off your walls – painters should paint the ceiling second. Anything that drips onto the walls can then be painted over. You shouldn’t have to tape off the ceiling if you are careful when painting the walls.

Freshly Painted Walls Often Look Blotchy
Even when your paint color is consistent, the sheen can be blotchy-looking over areas of the wall that you had to patch and fix before starting. The fillers are porous and absorb paint, which dulls the surface (flashing).

Painters can use primer to cover these patches before painting to seal them. This prevents the paint from sinking in and getting dull.

If you are looking for more assistance with your interior house painting, we serve Fort Collins, CO as well as Loveland, CO, Longmont, CO, Greeley, CO, and all of northern Colorado.